TELEVISION PREVIEW
I : II II . 7 II I. H E: ‘'I it 5 I ti Ii . . . . , , 1} II An adaptation of (ml/Iver .s' Travels I _ " boasts the kind of all-star cast and ‘ ' lavish special effects rarely seen on television. and nor was the £13 " n n u. ' million budget wasted. reports Tom 3 =3 I: 3: Gorham. " g E g
ltnaginc having £13 million pounds to spend on the production of a film adaptation ofone of the most ' .11.;L-i famous books in the linglish language. l’icture a cast that includes lidward liox. John (icilgud. l’etcr ()"l‘oolc and Omar Sharif. with Ted l)atlson ol ('liccrs fame in the lead role. 'l‘o cap it all. suppose you had access to (lax/ling special effects worthy of a Hollywood blockbtlster.
lt‘s a safe bet that when your filtn was completed. you'd like it to have a worldwide cinetna release. 3
Gulliver’s Travels: still satirical after all these years
with a star-studded premiere and column inches of series from well-deserved oblivion After two the book were aimed at the court of Queen Anne, the attendant publicity. But Duncan ls'enwoithy. the ' decades of being considered the established home of absurdity of our leaders hasn‘t changed much since producer of (lull/rm is 'l'rrn'r'ls. a big-budget glitzy transatlantic dross. the genre has received a “W”- collaboration between Channel 4 and .»\merican timely credibility boost. Willi 11“ “10 L‘lllllllil~\‘l-\' 0” th “13“ch lilltlils‘l. network NBC. had other ideas for his venture. lie ‘The reviews have been stunning.’ confesses stunning special effects and clever satire. Nicholas wanted to make it for television. ls'enworthy. whose previous production credits I.) ndhtirst. the (hr/y firm/s um/ Hurst's star who plays "To be honest. there's no way l'd have got the include I-bur like/(lines rllldxl l-‘uuerul. ‘and I‘m 11 Lillipllllélll [Nil-Sill" in (illl/Iil't‘I'K' '/'/'(I\'(’/.\'. is finance together to do a three-hour film fora cinema pleased to have been vindicated in choosing I'L‘il-“llfl'lflh blind l" “‘9 Plum “Cl”? llk‘ill‘Cd U” “‘9 release.‘ he claims. 'Thc backers would have wanted television. l've been trying to raise finance for seven Production. ‘l hilvcn'l SUCH it )‘Cl. so I've no ids‘il things left out to make it more commercial and I felt years for this. so I‘m proud of the fact that I didn't what it will turn out like.’ he says. I had to do the project properly. After all. (in/livers compromise.‘ ‘l’m not exactly an expert on the subject either. I Travels had never been filmed in its entirety before.‘ The problems weren‘t only financial. Kenworthy read some of the book as a kid and I remember it was While cynics were cruelly suggesting that in opting also thought he would find it difficult to persuade about this big chap w ho ties up little people.‘ to make a two-part TV' mini-series. Kenvvorthy had adults to watch what is traditionally regarded as a : l._viulhurst's decision to take the role of (‘lustril vv as swallowed the commercial equivalent of a suicide children's tale. But such problems were absent in the f based more on a pragmatic decision to enioy the pill. the 46-year-old producer has mastermimled an [78. with the show apparently watched by all ages. simple things in life than anything else. ‘When I first impressive coup. In the US. where the show was and Kenworthy sees no reason why a British read the script. l thought. “Is that all my part is?" screened last month. the adaptation of Jonathan audience should be any different. But then I saw the big names I'd be with and the Swift‘s l8th century masterpiece was watched by a Filming a heavily satirical story almost 3()() years filming schedule » four weeks in Portugal and I record 56 million viewers. It also received after the original was written also imposes its ow it set thought. “I‘ll have some of that".‘ consistently rapturous praise from the critics too. of difficulties. Fortunately. Swift's biting satire is still (in/liver 'r 'lrurc/x I.\' (Hi Similar 7 and .llir/tr/(tv N In one swoop. Kenwonhy has rescued the mini- powerful today. While most of his insightful barbs in . :l/H‘f/ rm (‘humrv/ 4.
whole new meaning to the idea of small world in TV COP-lafld-l
undercover police work. The subtext of Nolan’s life as an
' Salmon previously appeared in Prime undercover cop is that as a black man Suspect II as an ambitious black , living in a white society he has to lead policeman who is the focus of his 3 a double life anyway, making him well force’s multi-relations public relations suited I0 adopting a new Persona- In drive. In a weak moment, while they fact Deep Secrets says little about the are attending a policing conference racial theme, before heading into together, Helen Mirren beds her junior routine DSVCh0l09ical Ihfillef temme officer causing all sorts of problems With a complex Plot and a neon-
back at the office. In Deep Secrets, drenched, stylised look. Amanda
the idea of the ‘coconut copper’ Donohoe as the tough-yet-glamorous (black on the outside, white inside) is casino manager is particularly classy. briefly resurrected in the opening This is Simply a decent Stab all an scene before [Is Nolan is sent updated film noirfor television with undercover. His boss is another feisty more hard-boiled types than you can mission to nail a vicious Turkish female detective, played by Ann shake a toast soldier at. (Eddie Gibb) gangster, IIoIan (Colin Salmon) sleeps Mitchell, who was last seen as the
with one or his colleagues and tans in _ l gangsteress Dolly Bawlins in She’s Dee Secrets is a Screen One
love with the chief witness, giving a Deep secrets' can" sauna: { Out, also written by La Plante. (It’s a ApriII’cn 8801. on 58! 6
POLICE DRAMA ’
TV noir
In Deep Secrets, a spin-off from Lynda La Plante’s hugely successtul Prime Suspect, there’s only one overt mention of [IS Nolan’s ‘lunchbox’, but the myth of the well-endowed and sexually rapacious black man is used to provide much of the dramatic tension in this 90-minute television tilm. While on an evidence-gathering
72 The List 5-18 Apr 1996